core

### Generating a Debug File

PC-DMIS can generate a special text file that contains all of the communication data between PC-DMIS and the CMM during measurement routine execution. This file is called the debug file. Hexagon Technical Support uses this file to resolve certain problems involving the CMM.

The debug file lists all of the commands that PC-DMIS sends to the CMM, the responses it receives, and the error messages that the controller generates.

If you encounter repeatable problems that involve the movement of your CMM in Online mode, you can generate a debug file as follows:

1. From the Machine Options dialog box (Edit | Preferences | Machine Interface Setup), select the Debug tab:

Machine Options dialog box - Debug tab when connected to non-Vision machines

2. Select the Log check box.

3. Enter a name for the debug file in the box next to the Log check box. The default file name is debug.txt. You can also precede the file name with a full path to specify the drive and directory where PC-DMIS should send the debug file.

4. Click Apply and then OK. The dialog box closes.

5. Execute your measurement routine. When you encounter the error, immediately exit PC-DMIS.

6. Navigate to the directory that contains your debug file.

7. Rename the debug file. If you don't rename the debug file, the next time you start PC-DMIS, it automatically overwrites all existing data in the debug file. This results in a loss of data that may be necessary for debugging purposes.

You should then send the debug file, measurement routine file (.prg), probe file (.prb), and any other necessary files to Hexagon Technical Support.

By default, PC-DMIS sends the debug file to the ProgramData directory. This is typically "C:\ProgramData\Hexagon\PC-DMIS\<version>", where <version> is the version of PC-DMIS you're running.

For details on the default locations for PC-DMIS files, see "Understanding File Locations".

Starting a Fresh Debug File

You can use the DebugLogReset registry entry in the Settings Editor application to specify whether to overwrite all existing data in the debug file or append new data to the file each time you execute a measurement routine. For details, refer to "DebugLogReset" in the "Option" section in the Settings Editor documentation.

Setting Additional Debug Options

You can control the type of debug information that PC-DMIS logs and where it is sent.

- Window check box: To display debug information in a window for review, select this check box and enter a name for the window in the box.

- Position reports list: To log position reports from PC-DMIS, select None, Both, Log, or Window.

- From machine list: To log debug information that your machine sends to your computer, select None, Both, Log, or Window. Some machine interfaces do not support this option.

- From CPU list: To log debug information that your computer sends to your machine, select None, Both, Log, or Window. Some machine interfaces do not support this option.

Vision Machine Focus Debug Option

When connected to a Vision machine, the Focus mode option is available. For details, see "Machine Options: Debug Tab" in the PC-DMIS Vision documentation.